80 Days
by FoxxJ
Summary: A re-imagining of the classic adventure tale by Jules Verne, taking place in an AU nineteenth century steampunk version of Zootopia.
1. Chapter 1 - Introductions

Chapter 1 – Introductions

The city was alive that morning as news papers were being read by more citizens than usual. Mammals of all kinds were chatting amongst themselves of a certain recent event. A wager of the ridiculous amount of 20,000 dollars was made, and the headlines started calling him a mad mammal. He proposed that he could travel around the world in 80 days.

It had been two days since the proposed wager, and others, not even affiliated, started making wagers of their own on the matter, whether he would succeed, fail, vanish or even die in his supposed impossible adventure. It felt like the city was a little out of hand on the matter, while a few regarded it a waste of time and rather trivial.

Constable Hopps was in a sour mood as her taxi made its way down the streets of Zootropolis. She disliked the taxi system on the city, mostly because of the steam powered automatons made to look like feral horses on all fours. But her main reason for her dis-contempt was discovering her current assignment wasn't one given by respect of her peers but rather to push her away. She was a small grey bunny and for the most part rejected by her colleagues for being a small grey bunny.

The cobblestone roads shook the carriage bobbing it up and down as she peered out the windows taking in the area. To say the area had more class was an understatement, it was a far-cry from her own neighbourhood and her small one room apartment. Here the rich lived and they tended to have one 3 levelled building all to themselves. "What does one do with so much space?" she thought to herself.

The taxi came to a halt and the horses let out a blow of steam from their joints. "We've arrived constable. That will be 1 dollar" Of course the department wouldn't even cover her taxi ride, and of course they made her pay out of her own pocket. The taxi system was already unreliable and overly expensive, but its unique feature of automatons was unlike any other on the globe, which caused it to become somewhat of a tourist attraction. Plus the underground trains had yet to reach this part of the city, so her options were very limited. She opened her purse and pulled out almost all her coins to pay her fare.

She picked up her suitcase and stepped out of the carriage.

"Have a lovely day mam" The driver tipped his hat and pulled a lever.

The horses gave a small spasm as the clockwork inside them whirred into motion and they began their mechanical trot. She turned on her heel to face the building belonging to the eccentric mammal. It was like all the others, too big for comfort, especially for someone who lived alone. She climbed the steps leading the main door and pressed the door bell, to her surprise it was a fairly normal ring, at least for an electrical door bell.

She what felt close to ten seconds before hearing someone approach from behind the door. She put an authoritative pose standing up straight as the door unlocked and opened, and there he was. He was dressed rather well wearing a pair of beige trousers and a white shirt around his arms were a pair of gold armlets holding his sleeves, in his paws was a towel he seemed to be drying them with. And his gaze upon her was rather disinterested with his bright emerald green eyes.

"Yes, can I help you?" He said looking still rather disinterested.

"Mr, Wilde? Nicholas Wilde?" She asked.

He let out a sigh "I've already stated, I'm not taking any interviews. Good day." He began to close the door on her, and she quickly placed a paw holding it open.

"I'm constable Hopps, I was assigned to you by the council and the Reform Club." She said, a mild hint of irritation seeping into her words.

He looked at her up and down with a clear expression of doubt, she felt even more irritated by this.

"You are not in uniform Constable." He said. She rolled her eyes.

"If I'm to be travelling with you, I'm not to be wearing any form of official attire outside of the city, let alone another country." She responded with a sigh added to the end. He thought about this for a second.

"I reckon to avoid the accusation of an invasion..." He jokingly concluded.

He opened the door and tossed the towel to the side behind him.

"I assume you have at least some form of identification on you?" He asked facing back towards her. She placed her suitcase down and pulled out her badge from her pocket.

"Do you have any identification Mr Wilde?" She asked teasingly. He pulled up a newspaper from the window sill next to the door and held it next to his head.

"That's me" He responded with a light chuckle.

The front page had in big black letters "Crazy Eccentric Fox To Travel The World Before Losing All His Fortune" next to the headline was a photo taken of him that seemed to have caught him by surprise. He was at least still well dressed and groomed in the shot.

"Come in Constable." He opened the door all the way and ushered her inside.

She picked up her suitcase and took a few steps inside and took in the life of a rich mammal. The hall was large and tidy, with a very classical design, stairs leading to the upper floors and a large grandfather clock, which looked incredibly complex in design and clockwork that also told the date, was next to an arch that led to a study. Nicholas closed the door behind them.

"Does the Constable want anything? Coffee... Tea perhaps?" He offered. She looked back at him.

"Tea would be fine, thank you." She said.

"Very well. Make yourself comfortable in the parlour." He left to the back rooms down the hallway.

Hopps entered the room. It was like a personal library full of books and science equipment, two red single leather couches and a large red leather couch separated by a coffee table in the middle of the room. A large globe was in the corner and she decided to approach and examine it.

"All of this in 80 days?" She thought she spun it around noticing it was quite heavy and quickly forcing it to stop, she followed the seam at the equator and found it would open to reveal a hidden liquor cabinet inside, with some rather expensive looking brandy. She scoffed at the all too cliché arrangement.

"Let's not get too comfortable Constable Hopps. It's only 10 in the morning" The Fox was standing in the archway holding a tray with what looked like an expensive tea set. She closed the lid of the globe

"I was just musing over it. I reckon the globe and the contents inside must be somewhat responsible for the task you've set yourself to do" She said walking towards the fox.

He placed the tray on the coffee table and sat down on one of the single couches before leaning over to serve the tea and handing her a cup.

"Now, constable... why do I get the impression you don't want to be here?" This caught her a little off guard as she sat on the other couch

"Well... I guess because honestly, I don't want to be here" She said stirring her tea with a rather detailed silver spoon.

"Hmm, I'm starting to think we have both been fooled." He said pouring his own tea

"Why do you say that?" She asked, with a hint of confusion. He brought the tea to himself and began to also stir

"Well, I was not expecting a..." He pointed to her with the spoon gesturing to all of her.

"A bunny!" she finished.

"Quite. I was told I would be assigned someone for protection" He sipped his tea.

"Those bastards..." She said, causing a bit of shock from the Fox.

"Pardon?" He asked

"They asked us to have someone volunteer to follow you to make sure you were not to cheat on this venture."

This made Wilde grin "Ah yes, can't have the shifty fox pull a fast one... and you volunteered?" He asked taking another sip of his tea

"I was _asked_ to volunteer." She said, forcing down on the word asked and her previous irritation returning to her tone.

"Ah, and I guess no one else was _asked_ to volunteer?" He questioned. She shook her head, looking into her still full tea cup.

"Well, I reckon since we are most likely stuck together, we might as well make the most of it and get properly acquainted." He said. She looked up at him as he continued "After all I don't want to keep having to call you constable out of your jurisdiction" He sat back into the couch, crossing his leg.

"Oh, Judy Hop... Judith Hopps" She quickly corrected herself, Judy was mostly exclusive to her friends, plus she felt the upper-class fox would not really use it

"Judy Hopps, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm Nick Wilde" He said performing a slight bow from his sitting position

"The pleasure is all mine." She said somewhat mechanically that even she felt a little awkward, her mind went back to the clockwork horses and how they could have made a better introduction

"Indeed... How's the tea?" He asked.

"It's good." She said in another automatic response for politeness.

"That's amazing considering you have yet to drink any" He chuckled.

"I'm sorry, my mind is adrift this morning." She apologised, taking a sip of her tea, and it was in fact quite possibly the best tea she had ever had.

"And how about now?" Nick asked.

She took another sip, closing her eyes to savour the flavour.

"I was right the first time" She responded.

There was a short awkward pause of silence between them both. Nick decided to end it

"So, tell me, how long have you been a constable, Constable?"

Judy looked up to him almost embarrassed to answer

"... About five days" she said looking away.

"And how does one of your social stature become a constable?" She took some offence to the question, but decided to respond honestly but still vocally irate.

"By working hard, and proving myself. I've made sacrifices and will continue to do so until no one, not a soul on this earth can dare ask questions like that" She hadn't realised she had gotten up.

"A touchy subject, I see" Nick was unphased by her small outburst.

She was annoyed, but she regretted her following words.

"And how does a fox become as wealthy as you?" She felt embarrassed, not by her question, but the rather accusatory attitude she delivered it. She was about to apologise but he spoke out

"Oh you know, the usual. Grand theft, illegal gambling, tax fraud, racketeering..." he chuckled.

She sat back down on the couch.

"I apologise." She said looking into her tea cup

"Don't, I can see you and I have quite a bit in common. If you must know, my father opened a shop of imports and exports, and things were certainly not easy when we started." He let out a sigh "But as luck would have it one day I overheard two gentle-mammals talking about a type of brandy from the east that they could not get here, I placed the order secretly without my father's knowledge, by the time he found out, they were already on the way..." He paused "Yes _they,_ I hadn't realised at the time, but I placed the order for two thinking I could sell two bottles, turns out two meant two crates" Judy took another sip of her tea before talking.

"Oh dear, I take it your father did not take it well?" She asked with interest.

"The two crates cost us 30 dollars" Judy let out a small gasp of shock "So no, my father did not take it well. And neither did my hind quarters shortly after" He took the last sip of his tea before placing it down on the tray. "Later, I was able to find one of those mammals and gave the word of the brandy for sale. He asked me for a price I told him 10 dollars, you know what he said?" Judy shook her head "He said, still cheaper than travelling all the way there, and asked me to hold two bottles for him" He smirked "It wasn't enough to pay off the crates but it was a great start" Nick smiled and looked at nothing almost lost in thought "By the end of the week we had sold a whole crate of 10 bottles of brandy, and made a small fortune." He looked back at Judy "Along with some connections and other requests times got better. Eventually, we began to be a part of those more fortunate social classes, albeit certain prejudices continued, and they never really ended. Certain parties were very exclusive for us to be around." He kept his composure not showing any signs of malcontent. "We had each other, and he did eventually apologise to my posterior. It was a gamble, and I promised him I would never take on a wager I could not win."

"And yet, here you are, with an idea of travelling the world alone in 80 days?" Judy stated rather than questioned.

"It can be done. I believe it can be done in even less time, I just gave myself a few days for the unexpected"

She gave one last sip of her tea before realising her cup was already empty.

"You are quite the optimist." She said placing her tea cup on the tray

"That I am. Also, you are wrong about me travelling alone. After all, you will be accompanying me on this _impossible_ journey" It may have been all that led up to this exact moment that had kept the thought out of her mind, but now that it was said it finally occurred to her she was about to travel the world.

"I... oh my lord... what have I gotten myself into?" Nick could almost feel her sudden tension as she placed a paw to her forehead.

"I take it you haven't travelled much before?" He asked.

"No. I'm from the Burrows and that's the largest distance I've ever travelled."

"I could relieve you, maybe ask for someone else?" He suggested out of sympathy.

Judy jumped from her seating.

"NO!... no, I... I think it's something I can manage" Nick felt she was holding something in, but didn't pressure her any further.

"Very well, this is the itinerary, there is no itinerary. So don't make plans for any specific locations on the globe, we might not pass them or have the time to visit them." He said. There was a sudden increase in enthusiasm in his tone

"I hadn't really planned..." She was interrupted before she could finish.

"Ultimately this is not a voyage, but a race, so we travel light. Anything we need on the road, we buy."

"Mr Wilde... I'm not that wealthy" She said looking away

"You needn't worry about that, all you have to do is make sure I don't cheat." He gave a half smirk.

She decided to add something

"I will be paid... win or not, The Reform Club has promised me 100 dollars upon our return... I can repay you any expense on my part once we return"

He gave a soft chuckle

"Constable, I would hear none of it... plus, and at the risk of sounding patronising, those earnings will not cover a quarter of the travel, but don't worry your mind on the matter" He was right, it did sound patronising.

The fox got up from the couch and made his way to a finely crafted box on a shelf.

"And this little contraption, is all we need for proof" He opened it to reveal a rather expensive looking camera "This here is a Dry Plate Automaton Camera, and with it, we shall take photos of ourselves at our destinations" He took the camera out of the box "All we have to do it, set this up, put the plate in this slot, place this magnesium charge here. Press this button and..." the camera made a short whirr before a huge flash blinded the eyes of Judy

"Ah!" Was all that escaped as she quickly covered her eyes.

"And that is it." He said

"I'm blind!" she said rubbing her eyes and blinking.

"No, that's normal. It will pass soon" Her vision was white and out of focus, but she could see it coming back.

"Why would you do that?" She questioned as he removed the square plate he had placed in the camera

"It helps with the photography process. The flash burns the image much faster than your everyday camera, causing it to be done it split seconds rather than the time it would normally take"

Judy squinted at him, the irritation returning to her expression

"A bit of warning would have been nice."

Nick put the camera away in its box. The grandfather clock in the hallway gave a few gentle chimes and struck eleven o'clock.

"Ah, it's almost time for lunch. Well Judy, I need you here bright and early say around six in the morning."

"Mr Wilde... I want to ask you if there are any... low-income hotels in the area" She asked with some apprehension looking up at Nick.

"Not that I know of... I'm sorry constable, this really isn't the kind of area for low income... anything." She let out a sigh from his response.

"I can try the local department to see if they have any barracks." She noticed a change in his expression.

"Judy, why not stay in one of the guest rooms here?"

This shocked her

"Mr Wilde... I'm not sure that is appropriate" There was some indignation to her tone but he laughed it off

"Oh pish posh. I have more than enough room in the house, and those old fashioned ideals are dying. After all, this is the nineteenth century..." she wasn't convinced.

"This is not a family house Mr Wilde. People will talk when a bachelor has company for the night." She said in a stern voice.

He started to make a very odd squinting face as if trying to force an idea to his mind

"...come with me" He walked out of the room and made his way to the stairs, Judy sighed and slid off the couch, grabbing her suitcase before somewhat reluctantly following behind him.

* * *

 **Author's Notes.**

 **Hi, thanks for taking the time to read my story.**

 **This is my first published fanfiction, so I would really appreciate all forms of criticism.**

 **I took some inspiration by the videogame 80 Days, but I wanted to create an original plot that somewhat comes from both the novel and the original book.**

 **I hope you all enjoy this tale.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Lunch and Loss

Chapter 2 – Lunch and Loss

"The guest rooms are all on the second floor with a total of three of them." he began to tour her

"Mr Wilde..." she groaned, and he ignored her.

"The master bedroom is on the top floor. And you can stay here for the night, should you choose to."

He opened the door to the right, right at the top of the stairs, Judy almost gasped at the size of the room

"It's bigger than my whole apartment" The room was very well furnished with a nightstand, dresser, mirror, window and a queen sized bed fit for mammals much larger than themselves. On the other end of the room was a door that led to a personal bathroom.

"Well?" He asked

"Hmm... I guess one night isn't too bad, for the sake of the long task at hand" She said giving a shy smile.

"Fantastic..." He beamed positively "But a word of caution Constable, I keep my house tidy and I operate always to a schedule. Make yourself at home, but follow the house rules." He forced a smile and left out the bedroom door leaving it open.

Judy placed her suitcase down next to the bed, approached the door and closed it.

 _Oh, bloody hell Judy, what have you gotten yourself in to._ She thought to herself.

She turned to look at the room again, and couldn't help but smile and feel a little sunny at the place. Placing her suitcase on the bed, she opened it up. It contained some clothing and a file. Nicholas Wilde was in big hand written letters on the cover, she ignored it for now, her clothes were fairly common, they were not ugly by any means, but they way Nick was dressed clearly showed the differences in their fashion and wages. It was sad to say her coat she was wearing was the best item she owned.

She pulled out a pink nightgown and placed it across the bed. It wasn't particularly special in any way, it was a simple design and reached down to her ankles when she wore it. She began to wonder if she would even need it for the trip. There was so much to consider and only now had she actually began to truly consider anything regarding the voyage. Her thoughts were interrupted by Nick calling out to her from somewhere downstairs.

"Mrs Hopps, can you come to the door?"

Judy made her way out of the room and to the steps, Nick waited at the bottom

"Miss." She said

"Pardon?" He responded

"Miss Hopps, Mr Wilde" She corrected him with a slight nod

"No... really?" He said with a grin. She wasn't sure if it was a compliment or if he was mocking her. Either he was surprised she was still single or being sarcastic about it. She opted not to pursue the answer.

"Is there something you need?" She said.

"Right. I have a few things to do before we can set off tomorrow. How do you feel about an early lunch?" He said, pulling out a pocket watch casually, to check the time. She thought it a strange thing to do considering not a slight head turn of distance, the grandfather clock was ticking away.

"I'm fine with eating early." She said very matter of factly. "Will you need help in the kitchen?"

"Oh no, we will eat out, and on the go." He responded. "I know this wonderful little corner restaurant. Come Miss Hopps. Let's get the day over with" He said putting on a coat and grabbing a walking cane, from a few that were placed in the stand near the door.

Judy and Nick exited his house, with him locking the door behind them. They made small talk down the street, making turns and crossing roads. Steam Carts were very popular in this part of the city, and very fast, much faster than the taxi cabs. Crossing the larger roads where a few would zoom by would make anyone nervous.

"Tell me Miss Hopps, are their many Steam Carts in the Burrows" Nicked asked

"No, honestly I only ever saw them here in the city. Even my area has very few." She responded. They turned a corner to a more narrow street with more people on foot

"Terrible things. Personally not fond of them myself. Loud, unreliable, and they positively smell. Those fumes... ugh. I guess if our trip is a failure I can always move to the Burrows. Already sounds like a dream for not having these monstrosities around" He chatted. Judy appreciated the compliment to her home county "We are here."

They arrived at the aforementioned small corner restaurant. To Judy's surprise, it did indeed look rather small and quaint. Nick opened the door holding it open for Judy to enter.

The inside was very tidy and very empty, the chairs were still on the tables upside down. "Sorry sir, we no serve until 12." A voice with a rough accent came in from the back.

"I was hoping you would make an exception for today?" Nick said

From behind the counter, a very dishevelled looking beaver emerged "Nicholas!" He said with some surprise "It is been long time my friend"

"I've been busy recently, no doubt you heard? But it's always good to see you Alexei" Nick nodded.

He looked down towards Judy "Hello friend of Nicholas".

"Judy Hopps." She said.

"Constable Judy Hopps" Nick corrected.

"Hahaha! She bunny officer of law?" He said with amusement, Judy was not too amused herself "You, fox honest business-mammal and scientist" he said pointing to Nick "And me, foreign beaver best cook of local food" He gave another loud laugh. "We are great team, like band of... how you say... misfits?"

"That describes us well." He said looking at Judy with a smile across his face.

"Sit... черт, One second." He walked around the counter flipping the chairs off of a table not really worried about the noise. "Sit, I make food, join you" They both sat down. "What you eat?"

"I'll have the roasted veg." Nick said without looking through a menu.

"I'll... have the same" Judy followed up.

"Okay. Three roasted veg." He said popping off to the kitchen in the back.

"He grows on you" Nick affirmed looking at Judy.

"He already has. Quite a forward fellow isn't he?" Every now and again he would pop back out from the kitchen, and start turning chairs from the tables, getting ready for the lunch hour rush. During that time a few other workers had walked in and greeted them and began helping around the restaurant.

Shortly after, the food was served and they were all eating "Is food good?" He asked them both

"Always, Alexei" Nick responded before putting another fork of food in his mouth.

"It's very good." Judy said, "I don't normally come to this side of the city, but I'm starting to think I should, you have a good business here?"

"Hahaha! Nicholas is reason business is good" He pointed to Nick with his fork. "I come to Zootropolis from Taigasia, and make restaurant with best Taigasia food. But no many come. One day honest fox come in doors and asks for food. He ate, we talk, I tell him business not so good. Tell him people no eat food from home country, what do you tell me after?" He asked Nick knowing the answer.

"Have you tried making food from this country?" Nick said placing his silverware down.

"Hahahahahaha! He make me think about new food, tell me to make typical local food from here but use special ingredients from home country. I make food people know but never ate before with new food. Mammals see same name but food different, food better. Soon everyone come to eat food by Alexei."

Judy was quite delighted with the meal and the story, she looked over to Nick with some new respect, he certainly was more than met the eye. She finished her meal and set her fork down. The room was starting to fill with customers, and it was still early, shortly past noon.

They talked about many things, homes towns and visits, old struggles even Judy talked about her short time as a law enforcer.

"We best be making our way to the reform club." Nick said to Judy. He was starting to feel the gaze of a few of the patrons wondering if he was who he was.

"Vezeniye?" Alexei asked at Nick with a half smile.

"What? No Alexei, it's too early" Nick said, but was ignored.

"Never early for Vezeniye" He walked behind the counter and got a bottle and three shot glasses "You go on long trip, you need Vezeniye" He walked back to the table, placing the glasses in front of each of them.

"Vee-zee-nyuh?" Judy asked

"It means good fortune, traditional Taigasian custom, or just another excuse to drink" He said in a sarcastic tone.

Alexei poured the bottle filling the glasses with a very clear liquid like water. "Long trip has danger, you keep bad luck away, and make it around world in time for big fortune. Alexei know you make it. And bunny will become great officer of law. And you both make Alexei business by knowing Alexei. Hahahaha! Vezeniye!" He held up his shot glass.

Nick followed the same gesture "Vezeniye" Some reluctance in his voice.

Judy just copied as much as she could, humoured by it all "Veezeenyuh"

The three of them drank the shot as quickly as they all could. Alexei gave an audible satisfied gasp. Nick flinched and looked rather dissatisfied. Judy almost spat it out placing her hand to her mouth before she did. She forced it down and also gave a loud gasp but she was from the fact her mouth and throat were burning. "Good grief" She sat back down on her chair "what is that?"

Alexei gave another loud laugh "Hahahahaha! It spirits from home country. Bunny do well, better than Nicholas first time."

"Oof strong stuff. That's going straight to my dome, I know that much" She stroking her throat in an attempt to ease the burn.

"It's the liver I'm more worried about." Said Nick, doing his best to simply not move.

"You two learn life lesson. First steps are always hard, and we make many mistakes. We not let mistakes become our lives, we learn from mistakes to be better at life... just like drinking." He picked up the bottle "More?"

"NO!" Judy said loudly covering her glass.

"No!" Nick said at the same time, also covering his glass. "One good fortune is enough for now"

"Eh," Alexei shrugged pouring him self another glass "Vezeniye!" and drank it down in one gulp again.

* * *

Outside Nick adjusted his bow tie as he began walking down the street and Judy followed behind.

"Alexei is quite the character is he not?" He said looking forward.

"That he is... Mr Wilde?" She called with a slightly nervous tone.

Nick looked back to her "You can call me Nick..." he looked at her realising something was wrong noticing she had fallen a little behind "What is it?"

"My legs feel very numb." She said with some embarrassment.

* * *

Nick had given Judy his walking cane to help her stand up right, even though the reform club was roughly 10 minutes away by taking a shortcut through the park, he hailed a taxi to get them there, which had to go around the green grounds.

"So, not used to strong spirits?" Nick asked with a smile.

Judy was still feeling somewhat dizzy "No, well not as strong as that." She said putting her hand on the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes to the spinning world.

"Well to be fair your glass was as big as ours. We should have considered a smaller dose for you" He looked out the window of the cart

Judy looked up at him her eyes squinting with the struggle "A little too late for that useful idea. An even better idea would have not to drink at all" She said facing her head back down and closing her eyes.

"You don't need me to hold your ears, do you?" There was that sarcastic tone again. "We are arriving"

They got off the carriage and Nick paid the fare. They stood outside a large long building that was an architectural marvel. They stood at the steps and Judy looked up to the top of the building, which in her current state was a mistake. Her brain did not agree and her stomach was on the same page, she took a couple of paces to the side of the steps and lost her lunch.

Nick hurried behind her "Oh dear, oh dear" He said shaking his head and tutting. Then she felt something. To her surprise he was indeed holding her ears as she hunched over, even placing a paw on her forehead for her to rest against.

On lookers would look in both amusement or disgust, and sometimes both at the same time. Nick gave some embarrassed smiles "Oysters!" Was all he said to an overly dressed and offended couple that passed by.

"I don't eat oysters, Nick." She said with a groan.

"They don't know any better. How are you feeling?" He said releasing her ears and helping her up right.

She paused looking at the mess she made "...I ruined the flowers" She said with some guilt as she seemed to have unknowingly targeted a nice arrangement to the side of the steps.

"Well, that's the gardener's problem now" He pulled out a silver flask from his coat, and handed it to her. She looked at it and looked back at him bemused. "It's all I have to at least rinse out your mouth" She took the flash taking a swig a cleared her mouth. At least what ever was in this flask was sweeter and not as strong as whatever the hell Alexei gave them. Still, she didn't take chances and spat it out, returning the flash to Nick.

"Let's get this over with." She said walking up the steps.

"I couldn't agree more." Nick said following behind.


	3. Chapter 3 - Important People

Chapter 3 – Important People

The reform club was a place a lot of people knew and a minority got to enter. The entrance was grandiose large doors that led to a huge hall with stairs that led to a ballroom. Every path and door way had a red carpet. As soon as they entered Nick took a sharp left to a set of double doors, that lead out of the main atrium.

"He took two" Judy stated as they walked through the halls.

"I'm pretty sure he pours it with his oats in the morning" Nick chuckled.

"How?" She asked bewildered

"I've decided to stop questioning Alexei's sponge like existence. Though maybe I can convince him to give up his body on his death for research" Nick said showing off more a darker side of his sense of humour.

"That reminds me" Judy began, "Alexei said you were also a scientist?"

"Well... more or less, I'm not someone who goes about experimenting new ways to create explosions" He explained "but I like to read on current new discoveries. I do enjoy keeping up to date with topics such as electricity" They arrived at another door. "At least they are not listening to that god awful gramophone." He said before opening the door.

"Ah there he is, the mammal of the hour." said an old basset hound.

The room was occupied by 4 mammals. A middle aged male basset hound, a large well built male buffalo that Judy recognised, a young female cheetah, and a young wolf. All well dressed, the younger generation were wearing some modern formal attires and the other two were wearing something a little more classical formal. Either way, Judy felt a little underdressed here.

"My friends, it's been awhile" There was a certain act going through his voice. "Judy I'd like to introduce you to Mr Reginald Grimhound, don't let the name fool you, he's the most sprightly mammal I know. He is the senior club owner and pretty much organises this merry lot."

"Oh come now!" Grimhound said

"The Cheetah is Madam Cassidy Wildcat, not related to me." He said pointing to himself.

"I do never tire of that joke." Cassidy said sarcastically, as someone who had heard it too many times before.

Nick bowed to her "Madam Wildcat is heir to the Wildcat Foundation and Railroads" he continued "Over here we have Mr Richard Wolfheart. He is from the ministry of foreign affairs, dull as they come but familiar with the journey to be made" Wolfheart nodded. "And finally, and you may already know him..." Nick gestured to a tall cape buffalo that towered over everyone in the room.

"Chief Bogo of the Zootropolis Police Department" Judy completed somewhat intimidated.

"And the lady is?" Wolfheart asked.

"Ah, right. I'd like to introduce you my guardian and your 'guarantor'." He pressed that last word on them "Constable Judy Hopps"

All eyes were on Judy and she felt it. Everyone was shocked, some even with their mouths slightly agape. Chief Bogo was the one to break the silence with a loud roar of laughter and slapping his thigh. Judy felt even more awkward she then looked at the chief he seemed to be directing his laughter at Wolfheart.

"Bogo, what is the meaning of this?" Grimhound asked with more confusion than severity.

Bogo wiped a tear from his eye "I haven't a clue..." He paced his way to Judy, Nick turned to the others and began chatting. "Constable Hopps... I've heard about you" Judy looked up at Bogo who still showed signs of amusement. "Someone over at Precinct 33 is going to lose their job over this... mishap"

"Sir with all your respect. I'd rather if you let it go" She shook her head "I have enough problems there as it is" She looked away with some disgust.

"So why do you persist?" He asked

"Because I'm good at what I do, and I can hold my own, I'll eventually prove it." She said, trying to hold back.

"Hmm ..." The chief took a knee next to her, he was closer to her level, but he still towered over her "you think you can handle this task?" He asked firmly.

"I believe I can. Keep an eye on the fox, be a nanny to the eccentric. Make sure we don't get into any trouble. Could be worse" She looked at him with confidence. He nodded and smiled at her, accepting her answers.

"Constable..." He began, Judy looked at him with some pride "...Have you been drinking?" He looked down at her with disappointment, and like that all her pride was gone.

"No, I... well yes, but not entirely by my choice." She said trying to find the right words to explain the past hour

"I don't blame you Hopps. I'd be hitting the bottle too if I had been set up for this task" He said amused.

"Sir... it was one drink" She started to explain "some mammal named Alexei gave..."

"Alexei?!" Bogo interrupted "Oh Hopps, you are lucky you didn't go blind" His amusement continued.

The were approached by Wolfheart "Chief, Constable" He greeted them "Might I have a word with you both?". Judy and Bogo both nodded. "Something feels wrong about all this, I can't quite put my finger on it, but I feel as though he is up to something." He said glancing back at Nick "Constable, I hope you can keep us posted on any suspicious activity that he might show?"

"I can do this... what brings about this suspicion?" Judy inquired.

"I've known Nicholas far too long to know he always has a card up his sleeve" He began "This whole affair is just another scheme he's been brewing. It wouldn't surprise me if there was another ulterior motive behind this sudden trip"

"Twenty thousand isn't motive enough?" Bogo asked with a brow risen

"I would believe it enough, were it even possible. He's doomed himself and I feel like he knows it. So what could he be up too?" He answered

The doors opened and a very formally dressed stag walked into the room with a formally dressed militant wolf behind him "Gentleman, you would have this meeting without me?" He said with a stark tone but a smile across his face.

"Your royal highness" Grimhound addressed the stag with some surprise.

Everyone bowed at the same time save for Judy who only followed a few seconds later after seeing everyone else. The Prince stood at the doorway and rolled his eyes "Oh stop that. I tire with the formalities, I get enough of this at the palace with people I hardly know." He looked around and stopped to look at Judy "Who are you?"

"Judy Hopps sir... your highness sir" She knew nothing of protocols and dared not to meet his gaze, there was a snicker coming from Nick.

"Ah... what do you own?" The prince asked

"Excuse me?" Judy looked up at him confused and not sure if she should feel insulted. Another snicker from Nick. This time she looked at him with a stern look.

"She's your fault." Nick said to Grimhound. Grimhound shook his head while having his paw over his eyes "Ernest, I'd like to introduce to you my companion for this journey 'constable' Judy Hopps" He gave emphasis on her position.

"Oh, I see..." The Prince said "My sincerest apologies Constable" he gave a slight apologetic bow "I thought you a new member to this group of degenerates" Everyone opened their arms in protest.

"That's okay" She responded with a smile. Another snicker from Nick "What?!" She finally turned to him. He waved his arm dismissively.

"I'll have you know, I much prefer this than all that pointless formality" The prince addressed to Nick "Pay them no mind Judy, they just want to play suck up and kiss the ring." He said sarcastically

"I have a ring you can kiss, sir" Nick mumbled but pretty much everyone heard, Judy was shocked.

"I heard that." The prince said

"Always ready to show off your up bringing Nick?" Cassidy said, amused by all this. Judy noticed a hint of flirtation in her eyes. Nick responded with a wink and made his way to Judy's side.

"Speaking of... actual rings" Grimhound cautiously built his phrase "How's your finger, sir?"

"Fully healed Grimhound. Ready for another" He said flexing his paw.

"Good heavens, one economic crash was enough" Wolfheart joined in. And they all began chatting amongst themselves.

"A couple of months ago the Royal Prince here had a disagreement with our national banks, after the slight economic hiccup" Nick began to explain to Judy "Needless to say emotions ran high that day, and he decided to take it out on the mahogany desk table. He broke his ring finger" Judy gave a silent 'ah' of understanding.

The group got into all sorts of conversations, even though the bet was against the Reform Club most of the present members were offering their own take on what to do and how to achieve such a goal. A couple of hours had passed and it was time to leave.

"Well, my good mammals, it has been an amusing meeting, but it's time for me and the Constable to take our leave." Nick gave a bow "I personally hope to see you all again within 80 days, but I'm sure the feeling is not mutual" He joked.

"Well, it is for me." Said the prince "I made a personal wager you would succeed" Nick was surprised at the vote of confidence given.

"Must you leave so soon?" Grimhound began "How about a glass of brandy before you both leave?" He said with a kind smile. Nick glanced at Judy who was about ready to roll her eyes, even Bogo let out a subtle chuckle.

"Thank you Reggie, but we have been intoxicated enough for today" He gave a final bow and Judy gave a nod "Take care everyone" Nick closed the door leaving the members to their own conversations.

"A nice lot when the protocol dies." He said to Judy "Speaking of which... when addressing the prince it's 'your royal highness' for the first time and 'sir' throughout the conversation"

Judy closed her eyes in embarrassment "I don't think I'll be meeting a lot of Royalty again"

"Well, I'll take some of that blame. I didn't know he would show up, otherwise, I'd have prepared you beforehand"

"You speak fairly casually with him too." She said inquisitively

"We... go back a bit now" They continued along the corridor in the direction of the atrium. Some event was being prepared as the servants were busy moving about the location "Carrots?"

Judy stopped in her tracks "What?" She turned to look at Nick, with an insulted look.

"Well, I figured after the incident earlier, you might be hungry." He said taking a bowl from a tray that had a bundle of carrots in them. They were rather large and looked incredibly fresh.

"Oh, for a moment there I thought you were calling me... Never mind" She approached Nick and took two carrots from the bowl.

"My dear Constable, I do believe it's too early in our relationship to be addressing each other by pet names." He said amused. Judy gave him a look of doubt.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that" Judy said with a smirk on her face.

Outside they hailed a taxi to take them home, Nick opened the door for Judy and let her climb in.

"By the way Judy" He casually addressed her by her first name "I understand... it must be difficult for a mammal like you to try everything to make your life work only to have others shun you or strike you down" His tone was slightly serious but light hearted "I believe it could leave any mammal with the best of intentions jaded. Especially if it's your own co-workers and colleagues that are against you" He looked away from her "Many mammals out there can't even begin to understand how agonizing it must be to be in your fur right now, but trust me when I say, I do" He glanced back at her "So please stop taking everything as a potential affront to yourself. You are amongst those who you can maybe later in your life call friends" He gave a very tranquil smile.

Judy looked away, she wanted to defend herself, but in a way, she knew he was right. She had been overly defensive of herself, and he was right about the reason as to why. "Okay" Was all she said.

"Though Carrots would make an amusing nickname" Nick snickered.

"No, it wouldn't" She quickly protested.

Upon their return to Nick's home, they both stood in the hallway, the sun was setting already. "Judy, what time do you have?" Nick asked. She raised her arm pulling the sleeve of her coat to check on her watch and showed it to him.

"It's a quarter to six." She told the Fox. He looked over at her watch and then glanced at his golden pocket-watch. He glanced between the two, and then he closed his eyes. "Is there some..." he quickly shushed her raising a finger. They stood there for a few moments.

"You seconds are a little off" He finally said. She looked at her watch and approached it to her ear to listen herself "Not by much but punctuality is everything in the for the next few months" He continued. He went to the parlour and opened a drawer and pulled out a pocket-watch like his own but silver. He wound it up and carefully adjusted the time to match his own. "Here, this way our times will be synchronised" He held the shiny watch by the chain to her.

She picked it up "A little... masculine, don't you think?" She laughed but appreciated the gesture.

"Our train tomorrow leaves for Lions Gate at seven o'clock in the morning. So we need to be at Savanna Central by then" He looked around contemplating his tasks "After we will board the ferry to Landeux" He looked back at Judy, who's reaction was another of disbelief that she was about to leave the country. "So an early dinner, and an early night would be the current recommendation. I suggest we wake up at half past five and leave as soon as possible, tomorrow is the second of October so we must be back by the twenty-first of December. So make sure you are packed and ready tonight. Excited?" He asked his face beaming with an excitement of his own.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all... I have a feeling I'll be half way across the world before I believe it's actually happened" She said.

He let out a laugh "I'm sure you will do fine. I have a lot of faith in you Carrots" He joked

"No." She stated, glaring at him but with a hint of a smirk.

"Come, let's go to the kitchen fix us some tea and relax our minds" He led her into the back of his house to the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4 - Last Night Home

**NOTE:** One of the things I feel like I need to point out is how everything in this story is sort of to be read in a British English accent rather than American English. But honestly, you can all pick the accent you like most to fit the characters. I'm the writer, not a police officer.

* * *

Chapter 4 – Last Night Home

They spent some time talking, and the night had already come. They did have an early dinner which consisted of a home made soup, to which Judy helped make but was surprised to see the fox handle himself well around the kitchen. They picked up their bowls and Nick began to wash them in the sink "I don't mean to sound condescending..." She began

"Which just means you are about to be" He retorted with his signature charming smirk.

"Hmm... I'm just surprised someone like you doesn't have a butler or a maid" She continued.

"Ah. Well they get in the way of all the cleaning" He joked "Well honestly, I've never needed one before, so I never figured it a requirement"

"It must get lonely." She said, not really thinking about taking the conversation anywhere.

"Well I've been alone for fifteen years now, I guess I'm used to it." He said rinsing out the bowls.

"Ah okay... wait, fifteen years? What about your family?" Judy asked

He looked up to the wall and for a brief moment his smile was gone and replaced with a lot of hurt. "I just remembered I need to head out for a tick." He said, his smile returning. It was easy for Judy to realise she had stumbled on a sensitive subject, though she was curious about it, she figured best to not pursue the matter further, at least not now. "Feel free to explore the house... except my room, there is a sacred place" He joked. "I also have a gas heater installed, so if you feel like having a hot bath, there is one in your bathroom at the end of your room"

Judy felt a little embarrassed by the suggestion "I wouldn't know how to turn it on" she did feel curious about it.

"Oh it's simple, turn on the hot water valve, pull the chain, press the button" He showed off the system through the kitchen sink, there was a small boom the back of the house "That noise is the heater turning on. Perfectly normal" He headed out of the kitchen at a quick pace and headed for the entrance to the house. Judy followed behind him "I'll be gone awhile so don't wait up for me, see you soon" He put on his coat and left the house.

Judy half waved as he left. She felt this sudden escape was her fault. She looked around the hallway, once again to the big grandfather clock next to the archway to the parlour. She turned the opposite to the parlour to face a set of closed double sliding doors with hammered glass that almost reached the base. Upon pushing one to the side and switching on the light, she saw a large dining room with a long dark wooden table that could hold around eight to ten mammals. The room was very clean but it also lacked any other scents, it was clear he never used this room much. Wooden shelves held a lot of silverware and cutlery in the back.

She looked up at the light chandelier that was held above the table. While electricity was a fairly new thing, it was interesting to see how some homes were starting to use it. The light was certainly much brighter than any candle she had ever used. She turned it off and closed the door behind her as she left.

She headed back in the direction of the kitchen at the end of the hall, to a door with a window leading to a small garden. She peeked out the window, it was a simple rectangle shaped garden with green grass and some flowers for decoration and a large tree, she decided to skip going outside to see in closer detail since it was already dark.

She climbed the stairs and considered ignoring the foxes rule to not enter his room. She ultimately decided to explore the current floor. All the other rooms were indeed just more bedrooms like hers, but they lacked the private bathroom she had been privileged to be given. At the other end of the hallway was the stairs to the third floor and a door to a toilet, possibly to be shared by the guests in the rooms that were not hers.

She started to climb the stairs to the third floor "Sod it!" she stopped herself after a few steps half turned on her heel and went back to her room.

She walked towards the suitcase near the bed and reached for the file she had inside. Hopping on to the bed and sitting down, she opened it and it had almost nothing, but a picture and some personal information. Date of birth, address. The next page, however, held some information that simply said suspect of murder. However, the page itself was old and due to some terrible filing and short notice, it was going to be impossible to get the info she needed before the trip even began. She sighed, closed the file and dropped it back in her suitcase.

She thought awhile about the events of the day, and how the fox she had been talking to was certainly not coming off as dangerous. Still, she felt the need to be cautious around him just in case, his friendly manners certainly could be a mask to his true nature. But the file it self only called him a suspect and not the perpetrator of any crimes. She cursed and wished she had had more time to investigate. She slid off the bed and made her way to the bathroom at the end of the room.

The bathroom was small but had a bath for a small to mid sized mammal. She figured none of her collogues would fit in it, maybe a small wolf. The sink was a little high up but off to the side was a step ladder. There was the toilet and off to the side of the bath a strange device she had heard of but never seen. She ignored it for now and faced the bath. following Nick's earlier instructions she was able to turn on the hot water, hearing the boom off in the distance. After a few seconds, the water started coming out hot and began to fill the tub.

As the tub began to fill she looked at a small basket with blue coarse orbs. She took one and examined it and gave it a quick sniff. It has a strong smell of what she suspected was blueberries. She quickly put two and two together and dropped on in the hot water. The orb began to fizz, dissolve and the room was quickly filled with a sweet aroma. She turned off the water glancing at the dark blue colour it had turned to, then glancing at the open door, she closed and locked it, removed all her clothes and got in the bath. It might have been the hot fumes or the sweet perfume filling the air but she actually felt incredibly relaxed.

* * *

Time had gone by and Judy was lying awake in her bed. She was having trouble sleeping that day for many reasons, her mind was full and her relaxed state from earlier was killed by the device she decided to explore after the bath. It also had a valve, chain and button, she followed the same instructions and it was indeed a full body fur dryer, only what she did not know was how incredibly high pitched loud it was. It made her jump and almost panic as hot air blew all around her escaping the copper pipes each of the twenty or so holes whistling in her direction. All she could do at first was duck down and cover her ears.

Certainly not a good experience after such a nice hot relaxing bath. But it did get her fur dry quicker. She had put on her nightgown and got into bed where she stayed awake for what felt like hours.

Sometime later, she heard the door downstairs open, followed by some noise, the door closing, then closing again, and again, a curse word, and closing again, another curse and for good measure, the door closed again, this time with an audible click. She crept out of bed and silently approached her own door opening it a crack and looking down the stairs. She could see Nick fumbling around with something and placing it on the ground. He took a few steps back his arms raised and backing away from the object.

He stumbled back falling against the grandfather clock, then pulled himself back up grabbing the bannister on the stairs and struggled to climb them. ' _Is he drunk?'_ Judy thought to herself, he made it to the top and around the railing and did his best attempt at walking a straight line. He then lost his balance and fell to the floor.

Judy let out a gasp and opened and walked out to aid him. "Nick?" She called out. He hadn't passed out and was trying to grab the railing to get back up.

"Ah, Hopps..." he looked at her and her nightgown "... Still not in uniform I see" She rolled her eyes, and ducked down to help him up.

"I hope this is not a common thing you are going to do... I thought you worried about your liver" She said helping him get to the other end of the stairs.

"I do, I do... but I was also worried about not finishing my drink-s" He slurred and laughed

They began to climb to the next floor "Fantastic. Now I'm worried I'm going to have to carry you around the world" She joked

"It would make a great adventure. 'Nightgown Bunny carries sloshed Fox around the world in eighty days'" He slurred again, Judy began to feel embarrassed about her attire "Shh, don't worry, I'm not going to take advantage of you, after being such a cute sweet smelling friend" He rambled.

Judy let out a huffed sigh, he was drunk she wasn't going to press "Which is your bedroom?"

Nick half flicked his arm towards a door "That one on the wall."

Luckily she noticed the arm and the direction to distinguish the door from the other doors on walls.

She opened the door to his room and led him to his bed dropping him on his back. "Right... I'll let you handle the rest" She said turning around and making her way to the door on the wall.

"Judy" He called out. She turned to see him. He had an arm over his head covering his eyes "I didn't mean for this to happen" He said

"It's alright, let's just not make a habit of it." She told him

"I try, but sometimes... it's just not enough." He said, his tone showing signs of disappointment.

"I'm sure everything will be fine." She reassured him. He responded with a snore. "G'night Nick." She groaned and closed his door gently.

She made her way back to the floor ready to head back to bed when she glanced at the hallway below. Near the entrance was the object Nick seemed to have arrived home with. She decided to investigate it real quick. Upon descending the stairs she began to see it was a flat bottom briefcase and it had a lock on it. She pushed the button and it clicked open. ' _Maybe he forgot to lock it in his drunken state'_ she thought. She flipped open the top and almost gasped. The case was full of money she hovered her hand over the notes, there must have been over a thousand dollars in it.

She glanced to the edge of the briefcase noticing the money didn't reach all the way to the end leaving a small gap between the money and the side, she also noticed something was in that gap. She reached in and pulled out a revolver that was too big for her but the right size for a fox. She opened the chamber and noticed it was fully loaded. She felt nervous about this revelation, wondering what was going on, her instincts screaming at her to dig deeper find out more, and report this to someone. She remembered Wolfheart asking to report on and suspicious activities she may find out about Nick, she wondered if this was one of them. First chance she got she would send a telegram to Wolfheart and Bogo, which all things considered might end up being when they arrive in Landeux "Bugger!" she whispered.

She closed the chamber of the gun and placed it back in the briefcase where she found it. Closed the cover and went back up the stairs to her room. She wondered if she was safe so she locked the door to her room as a precaution. Her mind felt like it was on high alert as she laid in her bed, what could be going on? Could the fox actually have an ulterior motive to the voyage? She also thought about not having explored certain parts of the house as per Nicks request. The last thing she wondered was if she was going to even be able to sleep that night. She did, not a lot though.

* * *

 **Another chapter complete**

 **I'm happy people are enjoying the story so far. One of the reviews told me to be more descriptive, I hope I'm able to pull that off without forcing too much filler.**

 **Also, the same review seems to recognise my name.**

 **Yes, I'm that FoxxJ the artist/animator.**


	5. Chapter 5 - Out The Door & East

Chapter 5 – Out The Door & East

Judy slowly woke up to a familiar annoying noise. She reached for the alarm clock ringing off to the side and found more bed, or rather the bed she was used to being much larger. Her eyes opened and she felt a very short moment of disorientation from being in an unfamiliar place until her memories decide to remind her of yesterday and how she had decided to spend the night at Nick Wilde's house.

The ringing continued. She dragged her self across the linen and grabbed the offending device looking for the button to turn it off. It mocked her and continued to ring in her hands as she turned it around. Unable to figure it out she opted to place it a pillow over it, for the time being. She got out of bed headed for the bathroom to wash her face and opted to dry it the old fashioned way after gazing at the loud copper pipes air dryer.

When she returned to her arranged room she noted the clock still ringing under the pillow. She got dressed and decided to take it to the fox as soon as she could find him. Something smelled good in the kitchen and there he was sitting at the island table counter the had previously used for their dinner. Nick was not really in any condition to deal with loud ringing alarm clocks, he was pinching the bridge of his nose showing signs of a clear hangover.

"I can't turn it off." She said loudly, adding to the noise.

He gestured her to come closer with his hand and kept it out to receive the object. She handed it over and he roughly placed it on the counter and it stopped.

"I don't blame you. It took a while for me to figure it out my self" He said, his eyes still closed, he grabbed the mug in front of him "The feet are the off switch, all you need to do is press it down." He took a sip of coffee "Sleep well?"

Judy shook her head "Not at all... actually I think I may have fallen asleep about an hour ago." She said almost groaning "You don't look to well yourself."

"I guess that's entirely my fault." He said squinting into his mug. Judy felt a little guilty, it was clear some time ago something happened to his parents and she bought up a difficult moment in his life. "Coffee?"

"No" She replied "Coffee is very bad for us bunnies, too much for our hearts. But a cup of tea is fine" She smiled. He nodded and began to get up "No... I'll take care of it, sit down and mind your head" She placed a hand on his arm to stop him before taking her self with her morning brew making. His own pot of water was still hot, as she poured it into a mug. "Where's the tea?" She asked.

"Bottom cupboard on the left side." He said not moving much. "The strainer is in the middle drawer."

She opened the cupboard door and found various tin cans of varying types of tea, surprisingly they were for the most part common brands, though a couple of them were unknown to her. She finished making her tea and let it brew for a bit.

"I made you some breakfast," He said as she placed the tea on the table. "fried mushrooms, baked beans, hash browns and tomato halves" He pointed to the pan on the stove. "Though I may have made too much, I wasn't really thinking when I decided to make it for the two of us."

"It's alright..." She looked in the pan "... right, you did make a little more than I can chew" She admitted. She put the food on a plate and took it to the table adjacent to Nick.

He pushed his almost empty plate to hers without a word, and she quickly understood that he would just eat what she couldn't. She added the surplus food to his plate and he took it back and began to eat, resting his head on his hand.

"I want to apologise about yesterday, I really lost control." He began saying.

Judy quickly gulped down her food to respond "You already apologised, last night."

"Well, I want to apologise sober." He gave her a glance "It was very disrespectful of me to present my self in such a manner. I promise I will not be drinking under any circumstances during the trip" He gave her a smile that was quickly replaced with a focused glare "wow... those are quite the bags under your eyes".

They finished their breakfast and got ready to leave. Soon they were both at the door to the house, Judy holding her small suitcase "Got everything you need Hopps?" She nodded. She took note of the briefcase from last night still on the floor, he then picked it up and held it under his arm, grabbing his own suitcase with the same arm. "Right... this is it. Ready to go?"

"Not really, but that's not really going to stop us now." She said with a shrug. He chuckled and opened the door. The sun was starting to rise to the east, they exited the house and he turned around and locked the door, giving it a shake to make sure it was tightly shut. "To the train station?"

"To the train station" He confirmed as they began walking. The train station was, in fact, a brand new underground train system, with a building project to last into the next century. Unlike common trains, these would circle within the city and its limits, to help people with their daily commutes, a third line had been recently built but was still not operational, and few new stations had been added to the first line. They would quickly reach Lions Gate but would have to swap trains at Savanna Central the heart of the city itself.

At this hour the city was still very much waking up. Only a few early commuters were walking about in the streets. They quickly arrived at their destination, and the platform was empty. Nick went to procure the tickets for them both, while she waited. A uniformed mammal approached her from behind.

"Good morrow mam, everything alright?" He asked.

"Yes, so far." She said turning to face him. He was a tall Jaguar wearing a blue and black uniform representative of the Zootopia Rails.

"Good, good... no problems at all?" He said glancing at the Fox at the ticket booth.

She looked back to Nick, and then back at the station porter. "None what so ever. The Fox you are eyeing is, in fact, Mr Nicolas Wilde"

He looked back at her in surprise "Oh! My apologies... and you're his servant?" He asked in a cheerful tone.

"What? No." She gave him a shocked and disapproving look "I'm his... honestly I don't even know at this point. Assigned travel companion?" She asked him, he almost shrugged "Yes, let's go with that. But if we are to use titles I'm Constable Hopps"

He took a few seconds to register "Well... mighty progressive of our ever growing city" He tipped his hat at her "Mind you what with all the commotion over in Hill Street, I'm surprised to see anyone of the law round these parts"

"What happened in Hill Street?" She asked with curiosity

"Oh, you don't know? Some bloke ransacked a bank over there" He said so matter of factly, surprised she had not heard of anything. Her thoughts immediately went to Nick and the case of money he was now carrying around, but she shook the thought off considering he was too drunk last night to commit such a crime. "No one even found out until a few hours ago. Was quite a job well made if you ask me. Must have done it all quiet like in the night. The bobbies told us to be on the look out for anyone or anything suspicious." He gave a look at both Judy and Nick who was now making his way to them. "Not that I'd find any of you suspicious... well apart from the whole bunny fox duo" He gave a laugh.

Nick stopped at Judy's side "I'd say we are bound to turn a few heads on this journey" He added, not really knowing the full conversation. Off in the distance, the train was arriving.

"That you might, though, I bet me hat here you both will stand out before long. News travels fast here in these days, a bunny and a fox travelling the world together will no doubt make all them press people want your exclusive" The train came to a stop and they paced a few steps to the entrance. "For what it's worth, good luck to you both. I made a bet in your favour" He tipped his hat again and left them as they boarded the train.

The train cart was empty save for one mammal who also hopped in at the last shortly after them at the opposite end of the cart. They sat at near a window with a table. Nick glanced around the cart giving a look at the mammal in the same cart, he turned back to Judy slowly as not to cause too much pain to his throbbing head. "Right this case here," he said in a lowered quiet voice, placing the small briefcase on the table "is pretty much all our funding for the trip" He clicked open the lock and pushed it to her. She bought the case close to her and pretended to open it for the first time "There are five thousand dollars in there." Judy looked at Nick in surprise, she imagined a lot of money in the case but not this amount. She quickly gave another glance at the small space and noticed the gun was no longer there.

"This is an obscene amount of money Nick, why so much?" She asked him in an equally quiet tone.

"Because even if we were to stop along the way to withdraw an amount needed it could take a couple of days to process, even longer if the weekend or a national holiday were to happen, and we can't spare the time" He pulled out a small key from his inner pocket. "Here, this key opens the lock, I have a copy" he handed it to her "Keep it close to you at all times."

She took it "You trust me to simply not run away with the money?" She joked, holding the key.

"Do I trust you? Good point" He jokingly snatched the key from her, before giving a chuckle handing it back. She took it again and placed it in her own inner pocket. "I do trust you, you seem committed to the task at hand" He gave her a soft smile.

They arrived at Savanna Central and they both got off the train and made their way to the other line. Savanna Central was a lot more busy at this hour than most stations, being a city centre point, a lot of mammals were certainly making use of the recent form of transportation. the train system was proving to be quite the success. They boarded the next train and shortly after they arrived at Lions Gate.

Lions Gate was a nice location in the city. It was a bit of a tourist trap as a lot of mammals from the ferries would arrive and be greeted with the copper architecture, mechanical clockwork and pretty spirals the city offered. The pier landing was aimed at the city centre where large towers were being built to house all sorts of businesses.

A lot of the small kiosks were beginning to open their doors and greet the early mammals that would have a breakfast on the go. The smell of fresh pastries filling the air was incredibly enticing to anyone who would walk by, Judy certainly was. Sadly today was all business, and they bee lined straight to the ticket booth for the ferry ride "Two for Landeux, please"

The ticket manager gave them a quick glance "Eighty Dollars & Passports?" Nick put his suitcases down and pulled out his documents, Judy did the same. The ticket manager gave them a quick look and then proceeded to stamp them. Judy's passport was completely empty, she only recently decided to issue one made, for the travel. Nick, on the other hand, seemed to have had his fair share of travels done. Nick paid the fare and handed Judy her passport and ticket.

Arriving at the ferry, Judy came to a sudden stop at the gangway. The ship was a beautiful sight to behold, a design made for the city and it's very varied citizens. It was massive, with a lot of gangways for every mammal size. It had a long flat design, with an iron hull and copper seams, two very large spinning paddles one on each side in the centre. The front of the ship to the middle were three floors of height for large mammals, from the middle almost to the back had six floors and the back for the more tiny travellers twelve.

And here it was, the true start of the journey. A journey she had not have a lot of time to think about, and she was going to be travelling with a complete stranger. She turned around and faced the city and held her small suitcase to her chest as her mind was in a daze. _Is this really happening?_ She thought to herself. The boat whistle was sounded and woke her out of her trance. She turned back to the ferry and Nick was there standing on the gangway to the side letting everyone pass by as he looked at her "Don't worry Hopps, you will be back before you know it." He said in a calm reassuring voice. She walked onto the gangway, and made her way up to the ship, Nick gave her a soft pat on the back as she reached him.


End file.
